1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed generally to wind turbine blade design.
2. Description of the Related Art
Wind turbine blades are comprised of shells and other structural components which may be thickest near the base, or root, of the blade. The thickness of these components causes the blade roots to be very resistant to twisting when torsion is applied at the root. In certain wind turbine blades, blade performance can be improved when twisting of the blade is induced via aerodynamically generated bending moments, with larger amounts of twist being desirable in some embodiments. The amount of twist that can be induced is partially dependent on the shear stiffness of the blade at various locations along the length of the blade. If the rigidity of portions of the blade is reduced, particularly at portions of the blade located closer to the root, the sweep response of the blade may be increased.